Steering wheels because of their convenient location have often incorporated switches that actuate various motor vehicle accessories such as speed controls or horns. Steering wheels are also the most convenient location for mounting a driver side air bag. The air bag is often mounted at the hub of the steering wheel.
The incorporation of air bag units within a steering wheel have made the inclusion of horn or other actuating switches within the steering wheel more complicated. Firstly, the air bag unit with its casing and cover door occupy a significant portion of the area within the steering wheel rim. Secondly, the cover door must be free to open upon expansion of the air bag.
Consequently, the horn switch which has traditionally been a relatively large centrally located button at the hub of the steering wheel has been relocated away from the hub and downsized to fit within the remaining space within the rim about the air bag cover door. However, due to the historically conventional practice of locating a horn switch at the hub of a steering wheel, most drivers still feel more comfortable with a horn switch at the hub, particularly when faced with a panic situation. The conspicuous presence of a large pad at the hub further confuses drivers into mistakenly believing the pad is a horn button.
What is needed is a steering wheel having an actuator device incorporated within the air bag cover door at the hub of the steering wheel.